COMMUNICATION: Second Grade
- Speaks fluently and clearly; avoids vagueness and adjusts for learners' levels.
- Explains clearly: step-by-step; logical; understandable; makes connections; uses visual as well as verbal cues.
- Uses specific, clear, and relevant details when teaching; provides clear examples.
- Uses active listening skills.
- Displays writing samples that are grammatically correct, that convey information effectively, and that are appropriately constructed for the intended purposes and audiences.
Description & Rationale
In addition to exercising effective communication skills in the classroom while teaching a lesson, teachers must communicate with administrators, staff, fellow teachers, and parents for a variety of reasons. During my student teaching, I had several opportunities to do just that. Delineated and described below are examples of how I communicated with various members of the Blossomwood community along with the purposes for which I communicated with them:
* A letter and form sent to parents requesting permission to photograph and/or videotape students for the purpose of documenting my student teaching experience.
* An organizational chart designed for Jan Ingram to manage beginning of the year documents. These documents were sent to parents for their review and signatures before being returned to the school. As the documents were returned, we updated the chart. Finally, this chart along with all completed and returned documents were submitted to the office staff. Thus, this chart also functioned as a communication tool to administrative personnel.
* When I began my first placement, Dr. Kathy Vasile was the Principal at Blossomwood Elementary School. She required that all teachers electronically submit a comprehensive, weekly lesson plan every Monday morning before 8:00 a.m. For technological reasons, this was a challenging endeavor for Jan Ingram. In addition to helping her with various technologies, I modified this template for her and completed and submitted the weekly lesson plans on her behalf.
* Throughout my time in second grade, students would graciously give me gifts whenever they brought something to Jan Ingram. The following is a copy of some of the content I put in a couple of thank you notes.
* Due to the lesson plans, I communicated with Dr. Vasile on a weekly basis via email. This is one of those emails.
* At the end of my first placement, I sent a letter to all of the parents of my second graders. This letter accompanied the final draft of the letters the students had composed and designed in the Letter Writing Unit.
* An organizational chart designed for Jan Ingram to manage beginning of the year documents. These documents were sent to parents for their review and signatures before being returned to the school. As the documents were returned, we updated the chart. Finally, this chart along with all completed and returned documents were submitted to the office staff. Thus, this chart also functioned as a communication tool to administrative personnel.
* When I began my first placement, Dr. Kathy Vasile was the Principal at Blossomwood Elementary School. She required that all teachers electronically submit a comprehensive, weekly lesson plan every Monday morning before 8:00 a.m. For technological reasons, this was a challenging endeavor for Jan Ingram. In addition to helping her with various technologies, I modified this template for her and completed and submitted the weekly lesson plans on her behalf.
* Throughout my time in second grade, students would graciously give me gifts whenever they brought something to Jan Ingram. The following is a copy of some of the content I put in a couple of thank you notes.
* Due to the lesson plans, I communicated with Dr. Vasile on a weekly basis via email. This is one of those emails.
* At the end of my first placement, I sent a letter to all of the parents of my second graders. This letter accompanied the final draft of the letters the students had composed and designed in the Letter Writing Unit.
Reflection
When I communicated with various members of the school community, I was reminded that teachers do so much more than teach lessons to students. As in any profession, teachers must communicate clearly and effectively with other professionals. While Jan could have managed just fine without my organizational chart, it proved to be very helpful for us and for the office staff. The weekly lesson plans I emailed to Dr. Vasile were very involved and time-consuming documents to generate. They required hyperlinking to relevant portions of the electronic teacher's manuals. Basically, I had to train Jan how to do this, as well as, some other computer and internet related technology. It was the least I could do, of course, after all she has taught me. The fact that a teacher's manual can be accessed online exemplifies how technology always has and always will impact the profession of teaching. As time moves forward, most communication in education seems to be via email. That is how most parents contact teachers. That is how most teachers distribute their weekly newsletters. Emails go back and forth all day between teachers and administrators. That is just the way of the world now. While it is tempting to communicate in tweet-like shorthand, I think it is important for teachers to maintain some level of formality in their communications, even in emails. If teachers are teaching grammar, writing, and English, their writings need to reflect their expertise in these areas. Finally, the thank you notes to students and the farewell letter to the parents reveal how written communication that is more personal can greatly advance the type of positive relationship I want to develop with my students. A school is a community of people and these communications reflect that.